The pictures below may tell a different story than what I have written and I hope that they do. However I would also like to remember some of the trials that we have overcome. We have captured the lovely memories with a camera and our stories with words. Try to keep in mind, these only cover the shaky beginnings of our time in Paris.
It's difficult not to compare this new city to the beautiful and comforting one we have just left. We arrived well after sunset, with the assumption that it would be perfect to wake up in Paris. We weren't going to miss any London daylight and it wasn't late enough that we might be tired for our first day in France. After exiting the train station, we were swept into a crowd of heckling men, their eyes glued to our bags. We decided that it wasn't a good idea to hang around and so just started walking. The streets were black and the footpaths full of groups of men watching us approach. Our case clacked and jostled over every cobblestone and they watched our clearly uncomfortable expressions as we squeezed through each lingering group. We were already going the right way by the time our GPS found our location, but we began to realise that our apartment may not have been in the best area. Just let us get to our place safely, I thought.
By our 5th day in Paris, the feelings of dread inspired by our new home had dissipated into a foggy nightmare. We had learned the ropes of the metro, with the assistance of a very helpful stranger. He then squeezed through the turnstiles behind me (without a ticket), a favour for a favour I suppose. We visited Notre Dame, admired the French gardens, ordered a wheel of soft artisan cheese in very shaky French and found the cheapest (and most delicious) bottle of wine we've ever had.
See you with some Tarte aux Framboise,
Tate x
Tips for Travellers:
- If you are looking for accomodation in Paris, almost all of Paris is safe. The three areas that are not safe (especially for a woman by herself) are the 18th, 19th and 20th arrondissement. You can google these areas to see where they cover. Anywhere that is close to train stations are usually a little more dodgy and closer to tourist attractions are a little safer (with more competitive prices for food, so factor that into your budget).
- Buy a "carnet" (book of 10 tickets) for the metro to save yourself about €4 per carnet. You can use one ticket to hop-on hop-off any metro for as long as you like, so long as you don't exit. Keep your ticket because you can use the same ticket again within about 2 hours of its first use. A carnet of 10 tickets will cost you about €15.
- There are some really nice restaurants around Saint-Germain that have deals for entree, main and dessert. You can get all three for between €10-€20 depending on how fancy you would like your meals.
- The nicest and conveniently, cheapest art-supply store is Rougier et Plé (108 Boulevard, Saint Germain).
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